Apparatus for forming articles



Jan. 29, 1957 KANE APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 16, 1951 INVENTOR: J. T. KAN E ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1957 KANE APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES Filed Aug. 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: J. T. K A N E ATTORNEY APPARATUS FOR FOG ARTICLES John T. Kane, Albuquerque, N. Mex., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 16, 1951, Serial No. 242,137

7 Claims. (Cl. 78-17) This invention relates to apparatus for forming articles, and more particularly to apparatus for pressing articles to predetermined size.

In many industrial operations wherein an automatically operable press is used to process successive articles as these articles are fedone at a time thereto, many types of article feeding devices have been proposed in the past. However, these feeding devices have been complicated in construction and operation, and have been costly both in initial fabrication and maintenance.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for forming articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for pressing articles to a predetermined size.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article feed for automatic machinery which is positive in its operation and simple and inexpensive in construction and maintenance.

An apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention may include an article-working element movable to a working position and away therefrom, an article-supplying means positioned at one side of the article-working element, a second article-supplying means positioned at a second side of the article-working element, and means for moving articles alternately from said article-supplying means to a position engageable by the article-Working element.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of an apparatus forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation of an apparatus forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 4-4- of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 i a fragmentary horizontal section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and

Pig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a control circuit for the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein an apparatus for pressing a rod 1!) to correct length between a presser 11 (Fig. 1) fixed to a ram 12 of a hydraulic press and a stationary anvil 13 supported by a bed plate 14 mounted on the bed of the press. A slide 15 reciprocable in. a guideway 16 of the bed plate 14 carries holders i7 and 13 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) aligned with openings 19 and 2th in the slide. Each of the holders 17 and 15 is identical with the other, and only the holder 18 will be described in detail. The holder 18 includes a -U-shaped jaw 21 (Figs. 3 and 4) fixed to brackets 22 and 23 fixed to the slide. The jaw 21 is provided with a semi-cylindrical groove 25 and sockets 26 supporting one end of each of the compression springs 27. The

I Patented Jan. 29, 1957 2 other ends of the compression springs 27 fit into sockets 28 formed in a movable jaw 29 having an inclined cam surface 30 thereon. The springs 27-27 urge the jaw 29 away from the base or jaw portion of the jaw 21. The sides of the jaw 21 and pins 31 fastened to the jaw 21 serve to guide the jaw 29.

A wedge 49 is designed to be pressed downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, by a plunger 41 carried by the presser 11 to press the jaw 29 to the left to grip the rod 10 firmly between the jaws 21 and 29. The plunger 41 is urged by a compression spring so to a position directly below the presser 11 so that, as the presser 11 is moved toward the rod 10. the plunger 41 closes the jaws before the presser engages the rod 19. Compression springs 51 normally urge the wedge upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, along a plate 52 bolted to the arms of the jaw 21, which movement is limited by heads 55 of bolts 56 fastened to a lug 57 on the plate 52. The spring 50 is much stronger than the springs 51 and insures firm gripping pressure of the jaws 21 and 29 on the rod, but permits differential travel between the presser 11 and the plunger 41.

Balls 61 and 62 are urged downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 3, by springs 59 and 66 in bores 63 and 64, respectively, formed in the slide 15, and plates 65 and 66 are carried by the slide along guideways 6'7 and 63 on opposite sides of the anvil 13 through the balls 61 and 62. The bedplate 14 of the press is provided with openings 71 and '72 on opposite sides of the anvil 13 to permit the rodsllll to drop therethrough into a suitable receptacle (not shown). The slide 15 is movable between the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, in which the lefthand end thereof engages a fixed abutment 75, and a position in which the righthand end thereof engages an end 76 of a pneumatic cylinder 77, in which latter position the holder 17 is positioned between the anvil 13 and the presser 11. The slide is connected to a piston 80 operable by the cylinder 77 between these positions.

As the slide is moved to its lefthand position, as viewed in Fig. 3, from the righthand position thereof, the plate 65 engages the abutment 75 prior to engagement of the slide 15 with the abutment, the ball 61 is cammed out of a socket 81 in the plate 65, the plate 65 remains stationary while the slide 15 continues to move to the left until it engages the abutment 75, and the ball 51 is pressed into a socket 32 formed in the plate 65. During this movement of the slide, the plate 66 engages the anvil 1 3 and the ball 62 is moved out of a socket 83 formed in the plate aiand is moved over the plate 66 to a socket 84 formed in the plate 66. When the slide 15 is moved from its lefthand position to its righthand position, the plate 65 ismovedtherewith until it engages the end wall 76,,and then stops while the slide 15 continues to move to the right. The ball 62 moves out of the socket 84 and into the socket 83. Meanwhile, with the ball 61 in the socket 822, the plate as moves with the slide 15 until the plate 65 engages the anvil 13. Then the plate 65 remains stationary while the holder 17 is moved by the slide to a position between the presser 11 and the anvil 13, the ball 51 being moved out of the socket 32 and into the socket 81.

Identical, but reversed loaders 91 and 92 (Fig. l) of the type disclosed and claimed in my Patent 2,367,505 are provided at each end of the guideway 16 for automatically loading the holders 17 and 18 with the rods 10. As the slide 15 moves the holders 17 and 18 toward their righthand positions, the holder 18 engages a shoulder 93 formed on a plunger 94, moves the plunger toward the right against the action of tension springs 95 and 96, which moves a plunger 97 to the left to slide the bottom rod 10 out of a hopper 98 into a chute 99 positioned directly over the cylindrical opening formed between the op n ia 1 and t d op the re t e in onto h plate 66. Similarly, the loader 91 loads the rods into the holder 17 when the slide 15 is moved to its lefthand position. As the holder 18 is moved away from its right hand position, the springs 95 and 96 move the plunger 97 to the right side of the hopper 98 and the plunger 94 to the left to cover the bottom of the chute 99.

When the slide 15 is in its lefthand position, the holder 17 actu ates a microswitch 100 (Figs. 1 and 6), and when the slide 15 is in its righthand position, the holder 18 actuates a microswitch 101. The microswitch 100 is closed while actuated by the holder 17, and is in parallel with the microswitch 101 and in series with a limit switch 102 in a conductor 103 of a power-line 104 and a solenoid winding 105 of a four-way valve 106. The microswitch 101 is normally open, is closed while actuated by the holder 18, and is in series with the winding of a solenoid 107 of the valve 106. The switch 102 is normally open and is closed only for a sufiicient period of time during the upward movement of the ram 12 to actuate the valve 106. The valve 106 is of a type that is set in one position by a momentary actuation of the sole noid 105, and is set in another position by momentary actuation of the solenoid 107. When the solenoid 105 is actuated by a simultaneous closing of the switch 102 with the switch 100, the valve 106 is moved to a condition connecting a pipe 110 leading from a source of air under pressure to a pipe 111 connected to the lefthand end of the cylinder 77, as viewed in Fig. 1, and connecting a pipe 112 to exhaust at this time. and the piston 80 move the slide to the right while the ram 12 is being retracted from the anvil 13. Conversely, when the switch 101 is closed, and the switch 102 is closed by upward movement of the ram 12, the solenoid 107 is actuated momentarily to actuate the valve to a condition connecting pipes 110 and 112 and connecting the pipe 111 to exhaust, and the cylinder 77 and the piston 80 move the slide to its lefthand position.

Operation Assuming that the slide 15 is in its righthand position with the switch 101 (Fig. 6) closed and the ram 12 is in the process of being retracted, the limit switch 102 is closed momentarily to actuate the solenoid 107. This causes air under pressure to be supplied to the righthand end of the cylinder 77, as viewed in Fig. 1, and to be ex hausted from the lefthand end thereof, and the slide 15 is moved from its righthand position to its lefthand position moving the holder 17 from between the anvil 13 and r the ram 12, and to move the holder 18 from beneath the loader 92 to a position between the ram 12 and the anvil 13, and the holder 18 moves the rod 10 positioned therein onto the anvil 13, the plate 66 (Fig. 3)

being stopped by the anvil 13 as the holder 18 moves over i the anvil. The loader 91 simultaneously loads a rod in the holder 17. The ram 12 then moves downwardly toward the anvil 13 and the plunger 41 pushes the wedge downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, to clamp the rod 10 between the jaws 21 and 29, and the presser 11 then engages the end of the rod and squeezes it against the anvil 13 to a predetermined size, which is limited by movement of the ram 12, which movement is controlled.

The ram 12 then is retracted and closes momentarily the limit switch 102 (Fig. 6), and since the holder 17 holds the microswitch closed, the solenoid is actuated to cause the cylinder 77 and piston 80 to move the slide 15 to its righthand position. As the holder 18 is moved off the anvil 13 (Fig. 3), the rod- 10 is dropped through the opening 72 in the bed plate 14 into the receptacle, and the process described hereinabove is repeated with the plates 65 and 66 holding the' rods in the holders 17 and 18 as the respective holders are moved to positions over the anvil, and being in positions permittingthe rods to drop out of the holders 17 and 18 Thus, the cylinder 77 as the holders are moved ofi the anvil toward their loading positions.

The ram 12 may be automatically reciprocated or may be reciprocated by manual actuation for each reciprocation thereof. The above-described apparatus is simple in construction and positively feeds the rods 10 to working positions.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article-working apparatus including an anvil, a ram reciprocated toward and away from the anvil and an article-presser mounted on the ram in alignment with the anvil, the improvement comprising a slide mounted slidably across the anvil and provided with an opening extending parallel to the line of movement of the ram at one end thereof and also having a second opening parallel to the line of movement of the ram positioned at the other end thereof, a pair of relatively movable jaws mounted in one of the openings in the slide, a second pair of relatively movable jaws mountcd'in the other opening in the slide, means for reciprocating the slide between a position in which the one of the pairs of jaws is positioned between the anvil and the article-presser and a position in which the other pair of jaws is positioned between the anvil and the presser, a plate carried by the slide at one end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that end of the slide approaches the anvil and a position uncovering that opening as that opening is moved over the anvil, and a second plate carried by the slide at the other end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that end of the slide approaches the anvil and a position uncovering that opening as that opening is moved over the anvil.

2. in an article-working apparatus including an anvil, a ram automatically reciprocated toward and away from the anvil and an article-pressing element mounted on the ram in alignment with the anvil, the improvement comprising a slide mounted slidably across the anvil and provided with an opening extending parallel to the line of movement of the ram at one end thereof and also having a second opening parallel to the line of movement of the ram positioned at the other end thereof, a holder having a passage therethrough mounted on the slide in alignment with one of the openings in the slide, a second holder having a passage therethrough mounted on the slide in alignment with the other opening in the slide, means for reciprocating the slide between the position in which the one of the holders is positioned between the anvil and the article-pressing element carried by the ram and a position in which the other holder is positioned between the anvil and the article-pressing means, a plate carried by the slide at one end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that opening approaches the anvil and a position uncovering that opening as that opening moves over the anvil, a second plate carried by the slide at the other end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that opening approaches the anvil and a position uncovering that opening as that opening moves over the anvil, and means for so moving the plates.

3. In an article-working apparatus including a block and an article-Working element movable downwardly toward the block and upwardly away therefrom, the improvement comprising a guideway positioned just above the block and extending across the block and therebeyond, an elongated slide mounted in the guideway slidable therein across the block, said slide having openings extending vertically through the end portions thereof so positioned that when the slide is at one end of the guideway one of the openings is over the block and when the slide is at the other end of the guideway the other opening is over the block, a pair of shells surrounding the opening and fixed to the slide, normally open jaws mounted in the shells, wedges upwardly urged in the shells for closing the jaws when moved downwardly, spring-pressed means carried with the article-working element for moving downwardly the wedge of the shell over the block as the article-working element is moved toward the block, supporting plates, means for latching the plates in positions under the openings in the slide and in positions clearing the openings, stop means for stopping movement of each supporting plate as the opening closed thereby is moved to a position over the block to move the plate from its opening-covering position to its opening-clearing position, stop means at the ends of the guideway for stopping movement of each plate as the opening in the slide is moved from the block to that end of the guideway to move the plate from its opening-clearing position to its opening-closing position, means for moving the articleworking element toward and away from the block, and means operable in synchronism with the movement of the article-working element for moving the slide from one end of the guideway to the other end thereof while the article'- working element is away from the block.

4. In an article-working apparatus including a block and an article-working element movable downwardly toward the block and upwardly away therefrom, the improvement comprising a guideway positioned just above the block and extending across the block and therebeyond, an elongated slide mounted in the guideway slidable therein across the block, said slide having openings extending vertically through the end portions thereof so positioned that when the slide is at one end of the guideway one of the openings is over the block and when the slide is at the other end of the guideway the other opening is over the block, normally open jaws mounted on the slide at said openings, means operable by the articleworking element for closing the jaws over the block as the article-working element is moved toward the block, supporting plates, means for latching the plates in posititons under the openings in the slide and in positions clearing the openings, stop means for stopping movement of each supporting plate as the opening closed thereby is moved to a position over the block to move the plate from its opening-covering position to its opening-clearing position, stop means at the ends of the guideway for stopping movement of each plate as the opening in the slide is moved from the block to an end of the guideway to move the plate from its opening-clearing position to its opening-closing position, means for moving the articleworking element toward and away from the block, and means operable in synchronism with the movement of the article-working element for moving the slide from one end of the guideway to the other end thereof while the articleworking element is away from the block.

5. An article-working apparatus, which comprises a slide mounted slidably and provided with an opening at one end thereof and also having a second opening at the other end thereof, a pair of relatively movable jaws mounted in one of the openings in the slide, a second pair of relatively movable jaws mounted in the other opening in the slide, means for reciprocating the slide between a position in which the one of the pairs of jaws is in a working position and a position in which the other pair of jaws is in a working position, a plate carried by the slide at one end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that end of the slide approaches the working position and a position uncovering that opening as that opening is moved to the working position, and a second plate carried by the slide at the other end thereof and movable between a position covering the opening at that end of the slide as that end of the slide approaches the working position and a position uncovering that opening is moved to the working position.

6. An article-working apparatus, which comprises a horizontal slide provided with a vertical opening extending therethrough at one end thereof and also having a second vertical opening extending therethrough at the other end thereof, a holder having a passage therethrough mounted on the slide in alignment with one of the openings in the slide, a second holder having a passage therethrough mounted on the slide in alignment with the other opening in the slide, means for reciprocating the slide between a position in which the one of the holders is at a working position and a position in which the other holder is at the working position, a plate carried by the slide at one end thereof and movable between a position covering the bottom of the opening at that end of the slide as that opening approaches the working position and a position uncovering that opening as that opening moves to the working position, a second plate carried by the slide at the other end thereof and movable between a position covering the bottom of the opening at that end of the slide as that opening approaches the working position and a position uncovering that opening as that opening moves to the working position, and means for so moving the plates.

7. An article-working apparatus, which comprises a horizontal guideway, an elongated slide mounted slidably in the guideway, said slide having openings extending vertically through the end portions thereof so positioned that when the slide is at one end of the guideway one of the openings is in a working position and when the slide is at the other end of the guideway the other opening is in the working position, a pair of shells surrounding the opening and fixed to the slide, normally open jaws mounted in the shells, wedges upwardly urged in the shells for closing the jaws when moved downwardly, spring-pressed means for moving downwardly the wedge of the shell in the working position, supporting plates, means for latching the plates in positions under the openings in the slide and in positions clearing the openings, stop means for stopping movement of each supporting plate as the open ing closed thereby is moved to the working position to move the plate from its opening-covering position to its opening-clearing position, and stop means at the ends of the guideway for stopping the movement of each plate as the opening it covers is moved from the working position to that end of the guideway to move the plate from its opening-clearing position to its opening-closing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,840 Carter Nov. 17, 1908 1,200,982 Quartieri Oct. 10, 1916 1,242,365 Nall Oct. 9, 1917 1,891,976 Goebel Dec. 27, 1932 1,914,514 Lapham June 20, 1933 2,258,346 Bell et a1. Oct. 7, 1941 2,289,102 Clark July 7, 1942 

